I think they’re paranoid because of the experience of the unexpected collapse of the USSR, which they fear rightly or wrongly could be repeated in the RF, and correspondingly exaggerate the threat posed by various oligarchs abroad who like to boast about having financed Colored Revolutions.

“all of these lame little blog comments will have no effect on anything.”

Do not underestimate the world-historical significance of Sean’s Russia Blog!

You’re right about the main problem faced by the opposition. So why does the Kremlin feel the need to control them? They would surely discredit themselves if given regular access to, say, Channel One and Rossia television, no?

Anyway, it’s all pointless to argue. The Kremlin will continue to control television and who gets access to it, and all of these lame little blog comments will have no effect on anything. So I’ll stop after this post. Hail Putin. I have money invested in real estate in Moscow, so the longer he stays, presumably the better.

As far as Russian politicians go, for different reasons I like Yavlinsky, Glaziev and Putin, as different as those three figures are. And Zhirik, but qua entertainer, not qua politician.

It is no news to me that there is a great deal of “conversation” between the Kremlin and the various “opposition” parties — to some extent this is because of the “politics is a business” nature of Russian politics, and to some extent it’s just compromise, that is, politics tout court. However I think it is an exaggeration to treat them as if they were mere appendages of the Kremlin. A case in point is Rodina, which according to the conventional wisdom was supposed to be a subservient creation of the Kremlin. Things didn’t really turn out that way.

Anyway, the point stands that the main “problem” faced by the opposition is that their agendas are highly unpopular, either because they never were popular (SPS, Yabloko) or because Russia’s economic growth has cut the ground out from under the feet (the KPRF). The KPRF can’t mobilize starving pensioners because there are no longer any starving pensioners. The KPRF cant present itself as the “bulwark against the anti-people regime” because the “anti-people regime” has been improving the lives of the people.

While we’re at it, I wish people would stop talking about SPS and Yabloko as the two “liberal” parties. SPS is the “we love Pinochet” party of oligarchy and Yabloko are more-or-less European-style Social Democrats who actually have more in common with the KPRF.

Ever since Putin dissed Chubais at the Valdai meeting, he’s laid low. And the Gaidar stuff happened before SPS realized it was wrong to trust the Kremlin for Duma seats. All of this stuff is out there. You just need to read. You can even choose your source.

What would convince you that Commies have to promise to tone down criticism of Putin and the Kremlin in order to get there piece of the Duma pie? What is that magical minimum amount of evidence that would win you over? Zyuganov and a group of geriatric storm troopers seizing Ostankino and announcing on Channel One that they are Kremlin stooges? Or should Zyuganov come over to your flat and tell you in person?

And what is that about “trusting” RFE/RL. As it relates to that Ryzhkov link, then you’re implying that you don’t trust RFE/RL to accurately relay Ryzhkov’s quotes. Or that RFE/RL made the quotes up.

What Russian politicians do you like?

I think I’m a bit low on the social hierarchy to get a meeting with Ryshkov. Plus, I don’t like him.

By the way, how does SPS’ positioning itself as an anti-vlast’ force gel with the prominent position of Chubais, and Gaidar’s line that he was poisoned as an anti-Putin provocation? This is not a rhetorical question.

Here are a couple of articles on the subject. If still don’t believe this stuff happens, then I don’t know what to tell you. I can try and arrange a meeting for you with someone like Ryzhkov or perhaps a Commie or A Just Russia official. Let me know.

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/11/3a194108-e754-4dbb-9795-009b4dbb0cf3.html

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/11/28/001.html

You just tpe the faces. : plus ) =

Where is MAB? Is she taking a break from her column?

Chris, yes, I’m hopelessly behind the times, but where do you get those smiley/winking/frowning faces?

Of course party officials don’t say this publicly. Woundn’t be, dare I say, prudent.